KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study examines the narrative characteristics and educational implications of the problem-solving cross-dressing motif in classical Korean fiction. While previous research has largely focused on cross-dressing within female hero narratives from a gendered perspective, this paper categorizes cross-dressing motifs into four functional types—escape, heroic, subversive, and problem solving—and focuses specifically on the latter. Through an analysis of the nineteenth-century vernacular novel <Ichunpungjeon>, the paper investigates the motives, methods, and narrative effects of cross-dressing used by the female protagonist. In this motif, cross-dressing is not a symbol of gender transgression or identity transformation, but a strategic act of impersonation that grants temporary authority to resolve social or familial crises. Such narrative structures encourage readers to engage in problem-solving simulations, fostering skills in scenario based reasoning. Furthermore, this paper presents an actual case of classroom application, in which students participated in a storytelling activity that involved designing crisis situations and generating original narratives. Through this pedagogical lens, the study repositions the cross-dressing motif as a narrative laboratory for imaginative experimentation, offering new directions for classical literature education beyond traditional gender discourse.

problem-solving cross-dressing motif, <Ichunpungjeon>, narrative simulation, classical literature education, deceptive authority